People are increasingly becoming health conscious. As a result, everyone looks for healthy foods while grocery shopping and tries to steer clear of unhealthy food items. However, there may foods that people avoid because of their bad reputation, but are not in fact not that unhealthy.

Here is a list of food items that many people assume are not good for health.

Canned and frozen vegetables

Canned and frozen vegetables are often villainized even though they are a cheaper alternative that also lasts longer. It is assumed that canning or freezing vegetables makes them lose their nutritional value. However, research shows the canning process preserves almost all the nutrients. Nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins, protein, carbs, and fat remain more or less retained during the canning process. It should be noted that canned vegetables do contain more sodium for preservation purposes. So, while buying canned vegetables, opt for the low-sodium option.

Frozen vegetables, on the other hand, are frozen instantly at the peak of their nutrition. This means that frozen vegetables likely contain more nutrients than fresh vegetables, since fresh ones undergo nutrient depletion as time passes, as per CNET.

Gluten

Perhaps the most vilified of all food items, gluten should not be ignored unless one has celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. A type of protein, gluten is found in wheat and some grains and is digestible by most people, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. If the body can digest gluten, it can provide some great benefits to the body. According to research, gluten has been said to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and boost the cardiovascular system.

Potatoes

Yes, potatoes are high in carbohydrates. But that is no reason to skip these round tubers. According to the Mayo Clinic, potatoes provide nutrients like potassium, vitamins C and B6, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, folate and fiber. The only caveat is that most of the nutrients reside on the potato skin. So, to get the most benefits from the potatoes, eat them with their skin on.

White rice

White rice is often called empty calories because all the nutrition gets lost during bleaching. But white rice also has a reservoir of iron and B vitamins to up its nutritional content, according to the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center. Though brown rice has more fiber, magnesium and other nutrients, white rice shouldn’t be neglected since it's usually the cheaper one of the two.

Table salt

Maintaining sodium intake is beyond doubt important for overall health, but that does not mean that one should shun the condiment. According to the outlet, sodium plays a role in keeping the nervous system and muscular systems functional. So, while sea salt or kosher salt may be considered a good substitute for table salt, the American Heart Association says that all the varieties have the same sodium content. Irrespective of the type, the recommended sodium intake should not be more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.